Nick Allen
20 August 2017
In a candid first interview after leaving, Mr Bannon told the Weekly Standard: "The Trump presidency that we fought for, and won, is over. The Republican establishment has no interest in Trump’s success. They’re not populists, they’re not nationalists, they had no interest in his program. Zero. They’re going to try to moderate him."
Steve Bannon pledges to 'go nuclear' on 'West Wing Democrats' and vows to target Ivanka Trump and Jared KushnerSteve Bannon, the ousted White House chief strategist, is reportedly considering
starting a television network which would allow him to "go nuclear" as he settles vendettas with moderate advisers in the White House and pressures President Donald Trump to pursue a populist agenda of economic nationalism.
Allies of Mr Bannon compared him to a "tiger freed from his cage," suggesting
things would get "ugly" as he targets the Republican establishment and what he calls "West Wing Democrats".
Mr Bannon's possible TV network would be intended as
a rival to Fox News, the Rupert Murdoch-owned channel which has been supportive of Mr Trump, but which Mr Bannon now regards as too moderate, Axios reported.
Mr Bannon's new venture would probably be
funded by Bob Mercer, the hedge fund billionaire and conservative mega-donor, who has previously backed both Breitbart and Mr Trump. Mr Mercer and Mr Bannon met last week to discus plans for after his White House exit.
The following evening Mr Mercer had dinner with the president.
On the outside Mr Bannon will target a ring of presidential advisers
sometimes known as the "globalists".
It includes
Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump, chief economic adviser Gary Cohn, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, and National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster, with whom Mr Bannon appeared to have lost a battle over putting more troops in Afghanistan.
Also in the firing line are Republican leaders in Congress such as House Speaker Paul Ryan and senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Republicans who Mr Bannon blames for stalling Mr Trump's agenda,
including funding for the border wall, and failing to overturn Obamacare.
Mr Green said: "Bannon sounded like he'd just consumed 40 Red Bulls. He's a tiger being let out of his cage. I think he'll still have Trump's ear.
Bannon's great disappointment is that the White House hasn't been able to deliver on a lot of things they promised. In his view that is because
people in the White House are inhibiting Trump. He wants to exert pressure from the outside and steer Trump back to the polices he ran on."
But Steve King, a conservative Republican congressman from Iowa, said: "
I don’t have any longer the expectations that Trump can keep the rest of his promises."
The danger for Mr Trump now is that Mr Bannon could ultimately turn on him.
Joel Pollak, Breitbart's senior-editor-at-large, wrote: "It may turn out to be the beginning of the end for the Trump administration,
the moment Donald Trump became Arnold Schwarzenegger,” referring to the former California governor's "
re-invention as a liberal".
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/08/19/steve-bannon-go-nuclear-west-wing-democrats-may-start-tv-network/
